The best Mario Kart ever gets even better on Nintendo Switch, with a brand-new Battle mode making for the ultimate multiplayer game.

The Nintendo Switch may have been born from the ashes of the Wii U, but that ash has proven very fertile soil for its first wave of games. Like any new console the Switch’s first several months seemed worrying bereft of major new games, but the quality of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild was so high that the launch went better than Nintendo could’ve hoped. And while they still haven’t released a big budget game made specifically for the Switch, they do have the legacy of the Wii U to lean on in the meantime. And considering that includes the best Mario Kart ever made – and thereby one of the best multiplayer games of all time – that’s a pretty effective way to tide things over.

Probably the best way to think of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is as a Game of the Year Edition of the original 2014 Wii U game. It is more than that, primarily because of one important new mode, but if you played the original and bought all its DLC then there is relatively little reason to get this new version. The fact that so few people have ever played the Wii U though, is the whole reason the Switch exists. And so re-packaging the game in this way makes perfect sense.

To be specific, what you get in this deluxe edition is the original game, all previously released DLC (even the weird Mercedes-Benz cars), six new characters and associated vehicles, two new weapons, and a completely revamped Battle mode including eight unique battle arenas. There are also a few other tweaks and changes, that we’ll get into in a moment, but considering the original DLC was already regarded as some of the best ever released that makes for quite the package. Especially as it pushes the total number of race courses up to a massive 48.

While Mario Kart 8 is vastly more accessible than other racers it’s nowhere near as simplistic as the cartoonish visuals suggest. There’s a serious racing model underpining the game’s simple controls, and an experienced player can run rings around any novice. Especially once they master the hugely satisfying drifting techniques.

More advanced players will be pleased to hear that the ‘fire hopping’ exploit is now impossible in Deluxe, while there’s a new third level of mini-turbo boost if you manage to drift for as long as possible. But the game also tries its best to accommodate new players, with optional motion controls and a new ‘smart steering’ assist that stops you from falling off a course.

The real genius of Mario Kart though has always been in its use of items. To create a more level playing field each circuit is littered with power-up boxes that contain series regulars like the red and green shells (basically guided and unguided missiles), banana skins, and a vision-obscuring squid.

Mario Kart 8 added a number of new items on top of this, including a boomerang and the super horn – which is the only weapon able to deflect a blue shell. On top of this, Deluxe reintroduces the Boo ghost that renders you incorporeal and steals a rival’s item. And although you can only use it in Battle mode there’s also the feather that lets you do a giant jump. Deluxe also allows you to carry two items at once, with one held in reserve for after you’ve used the first (although you can’t swap between them like Double Dash!!).

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (NS) – the Splatoon characters fit in great

Mario Kart 8’s most obvious new feature has always been its anti-gravity sections. Whenever you pass over a blue strip on the floor the wheels of your kart or motorcycle fold up and you can race along the wall or even the ceiling. When you’re doing this knocking into another player gives you both a small speed boost and there’s often the choice of multiple routes, some anti-gravity and some not. Since the camera follows straight after you, you often forget you’re not driving on terra firma. Until suddenly you notice that the castle looming up in front of you is upside down or there are other people racing around on the wall next to you.

In that sense you could argue it’s not much more than a visual gimmick, but by opening up even more optional routes through a level it’s definitely a welcome feature. Especially as the gliding and underwater transformation from Mario Kart 7 is also still part of the game, offering up even more alternative routes and shortcuts.

In order to accommodate all these different transformations the new tracks are, in the main, noticeably wider than usual – which also helps to depower the items slightly. The circuit designs are uniformly excellent and the retro courses that make up the other half of the tracks have been cleverly altered to add at least some anti-gravity elements, such as one side of the GBA Mario Circuit course being stuck 90 degrees in the air.

The graphics throughout all 48 tracks are stunning, making this probably Nintendo’s best-looking game of the current or previous generation. In TV mode the Switch version runs at a full 1080p and 60 frames per second for single and split-screen two-player modes, only dropping down to 1080p and 30 frames per second for three and four-player split screen. It may just be a Wii U port but, in large part thanks to Nintendo’s excellent art direction, the game looks fantastic.

Importantly for Nintendo, everything about Mario Kart 8 seems almost custom-made for the Switch. Thanks to the two Joy-Cons you can have a multiplayer match literally anywhere, and the game’s accessibility means that anyone can join in and compete from their very first race. There’s also wireless multplayer for up to eight players, and a 12-player online mode. We’ve played a good few hours on the latter already, and although it’s impossible to know how this will stand up when the game launches publicly we haven’t had any problems yet and the Wii U version was very reliable.

The original version wasn’t without flaws though, and what makes Deluxe particularly welcome is that it does address the two major issues we had with it. The first is that there was a needless repetition of course themes in the original 32 tracks, with many new courses having pretty much the same look and feel as the retro ones. This is much less of a problem with the addition of the new DLC tracks, which includes not just special crossover courses based on The Legend Of Zelda, Animal Crossing, F-Zero, and ExciteBike, but ones where you’re driving around in a child’s bedroom, a course set in a subway station, and driving along on the back of a giant Chinese dragon.

The most vocal complaint about the original though was Battle mode, which has been neglected for years but reached its absolute nadir in Mario Kart 8. That’s now been completely removed for the Deluxe edition and replaced with five new modes that recall the glory days of the SNES and N64 games. The standard mode is Balloon Battle, where everyone has five balloons tied to the back of their kart. The idea is to try and shoot your rivals’ off with items, as you race around special Battle mode-only arenas. Veterans may be upset to learn this is not an elimination competition, but it might as well be as although you’re allowed to continue after losing all five initial balloons your score is immediately halved.

Bob-omb Blast is basically the same thing, but where the only item you can collect is bombs. Meanwhile, Coin Runners doesn’t require you to shoot anyone, but instead collect as many coins as possible. We really liked this mode, as you can obviously steal other people’s coins – which becomes increasingly tempting as you see them driving around with a massive stack of gold.

Renegade Roundup is a team game where one side has a Piranha Plant permanently attached to their kart (although they can still pick-up other items) and has to catch the other players so that they’re placed in a cage. Their compadres can rescue them though, by driving over the big red button hidden underneath. This is the where the new U-turn move, which you can only use in Battle mode, comes in particularly useful.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (NS) – Peach is about to get bruised

As fun as Renegade Roundup and the others are though our favourite Battle mode is the elegantly simple Shine Thief. All you have to do is grab and hold onto the shine, as all the other players race after you to snatch it for themselves. But when you have the shine your top speed is reduced, so when all the other players suddenly converge on you it becomes borderline traumatic, as you desperately try to stay in possession long enough to win.

With both issues from the original game comprehensively addressed we’re at a loss for anything negative to say about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It’s true that the single-player mode is still extremely basic – just a series of increasingly fast Grands Prix – but that’s always been the case. And anyway, the blisteringly fast 200cc mode introduced via the DLC will be more than enough challenge for most. (Plus, Deluxe adds 200cc time trials for the first time).

Mario Kart 8 was already arguably the best in the series, but what few flaws it did have are all left in the dust by the Deluxe version. If you own a Switch and have never played the Wii U version then Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is without question a must-have purchase. Whether you’re playing online or with everyone in the same room, there are few pleasures in gaming more enjoyable than a good game of Mario Kart. And this is as good as Mario Kart has ever been.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

In Short: The definitive version of one of the greatest multiplayer games ever, with a vast array of courses, characters, and the best Battle mode since the SNES days.

Pros: The best blend of racing and power-ups the series has ever seen. The anti-gravity gimmick is a great idea and the graphics are excellent. Revamped Battle mode is superb. Tons of content.